Debris Pickup Rules Eased

HURRICANE AFTERMATH - CLEANUP

Most Cities Waive Requirements That Dead Trees And Limbs Be Cut And Tied.

August 19, 2004|By Jim Stratton, Sentinel Staff Writer

After two days of hauling branches to the curb, Theresa Burton built a sturdy little wall of brush along Washington Street near downtown Orlando.

Now the question is, what to do with it?

"I hope they can clean up this mess," she said Wednesday. "There's nothing else I can do."

Normally, Burton would be required to cut and bundle that mess. But with branches piled along many of Central Florida's roads, most local governments have waived customary requirements that dead trees and limbs be cut into four-foot lengths, tied together and stacked neatly by the curb.

"We're going to be coming in there with front-end loaders and heavy equipment," said Bill Baxter, Orange County's director of public works. "If they can get it to the curb, we're going to haul the son-of-a-gun away."

Seminole County is encouraging residents to stick with 4-foot lengths but is not making that a requirement. Some cities in Seminole are waiving such rules altogether.

That's a relief to residents who have struggled for five days to cut and haul away debris dumped on their yards and houses by Hurricane Charley.

Not every municipality is abandoning the bundle rule, however. Some cities in west Orange County, where damage from Charley was relatively minor, are asking that branches be cut to at least six-foot lengths. Osceola and Volusia counties are also asking residents to cut and stack debris if they can.

"It does not need to be gift-wrapped," said Josef Grusauskas, Volusia County's solid waste director.

Residents everywhere are asked to follow other instructions:

Construction debris, tree and yard waste, and household garbage should be kept in separate piles. And all waste should be kept out of the street.

Also, debris should be kept away from power lines, mailboxes, fire hydrants and anything else that could be crushed or eaten by giant claws and front-end loaders.